Process and apparatus for converting petroleum oil



Nov. 6, 1934. J. G. ALTI-1ER PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING PETROLEUM OIL MAQ Filed Feb. 15. 1922 Patented Nov. 6, 1931i? UNITED STATES PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR CONVERT- ING PETROLEUM OIL Joseph G. Alther, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Universal Oil Products Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of South Dakota Application February 13, 1922, Serial No. 535,978

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for converting petroleum oil and refers more particularly to a process in which relatively high boiling point oils are converted to oils having a lower boiling point and characteristics similar to that of gasoline and the like.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a process in which the raw oil charge and refluxed oil constituents separated in the pressure distillation thereof, may be treated and retreated in the same or separate stages at conditions of temperature and pressure most suitable for the production of increased yields, of`

more uniform and better quality low boiling point distillates than it is possible to procure in a single stage of treatment under a relatively limited range of temperature and pressure conditions. The process also combines important features in preheating and dephlegmating facilities and connections by means of which the oil may be circulated through a number oi' different connections to produce the most desirable results.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational View of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vaporizing chambers showing the inlet and draw-oil? conhections.

Referring to the drawing, the oil is drawn from storage tank 1 through line 2 which is controlled by a valve 3 and is charged by means of a pump 4 through any one of the three lines 5, 6 and 7 in which are interposed the valves 8, 9 and l0 respectively. These pipes direct the oil to preheating coils 11, 12 and 13 mounted in the dephlegmating towers 14, 15 and 16. The oil flowing through the respective coils in the dephlegmating columns, is not only preheated but serves as a `dephlegmating medium to the oil vapors which are rising through the separate columns. After being preheated in this manner, the heated oil ilows down through the lines 17, 18 and 19 which are connected with the lines 20, 21 and 22 terminating in the separate banks of heating coils 23, 24 and 25 respectively, mounted in a furnace 26. The furnace or heating means is of any type; the preferable construction shown in the drawing comprises a combustion chamber 27 in which are positioned the burners 28 and a di-l viding wall 29, near the top oi which is an opening joining the combustion chamber with the heating chamber 31 in which the heating tubes are mounted. Auxiliary burners 32 are positioned in the heating chamber. It will be noted that the lines 20, 21 and 22 are connected directly by short circuiting lines 20a, 21a and 22a t0 their individual charging lines and may be used by proper manipulation of the valves to charge the oil directly or in regulatedquantities to the heating tubes instead of circulating the entire charge through the separate preheating coils in the dephlegmator.

The regulation of the oil flow is such that the entire charging stock may be circulated through a single preheating coil or through two or all of the coils and the quantity circulated through these coils may be further limited by charging a portion of the oil directly to the heating tubes through the short circuiting lines described. The separate heating coils on the other hand are serially connected by means of the pipes 33 and 34 controlled by the valves 35 and 36, thus the coils may be connected so that they produce a continuous stream throughout the heating zone. On the other hand, coil 23 is connected by means of a pipe 37 regulated by a valve 38 to vapor- 75 izing chamber 39, and the coil 24 to the chamber 40 by means of the line 41 controlled by a valve t 42. The upper coil 25 is connected by means of the transfer line 43 to the chamber 44. 'Ihus the three chambers may be used in the vaporisat'ion of the oil or the single chamber 44 may be employed alone if the coils are connected to form a continuous coil through the heating zone.

The vapors evolved during the conversion of the oil in the vaporizing chamber, pass oi through 8 the separate vapor lines 45, 46 and 47 controlled by valves 48, 49 and 50. The line 45 conducts the 'vapors from the chamber 39 to the dephlegmating column 14, the line 46 connects with the dephlegmator 15 and the vapor line 47 communicates with the dephlegmator 16. The vapors after being reuxed in the separate dephlegmat ing columns, pass over from the individual dephlegmators to the lines 51, 52 and 53 to the condenser coils 54, 55 and 56 and are collected as 5 liquid distillate in the receiving tanks 57, 58 and 59 respectively. Proper control in the way of pressure gauges and liquid level gauges are supplied to the separate receiving tanks. The receiving tanks are equipped with liquid draw-off valves 61, 62 and 63 by means of which the liquid distillate is drawn off and directed through the header 64 to a distillate storage tank 65.

Instead of passing the vapors from the chamber 39 through its dephlegmator 14, by closing the valve 66 and opening the valve 67, these vapors may be combined with the dephlegmated vapors from the reiluxing column 15 in the line 52 and in the same manner the vapors from the ehamber 40 may be combined with the reux vapors passing out through the top of the reiluxing column 16 by closing the valve 68 and opening the valve 69. Thus, by passing the -vapors around the dephlegmator 15 to the goosef reux oil that is separated out as reflux condensate in the column 14 is collected and drawn oir through the line 2lb and charged by means of the pump 72 either directly through the lines 21a and 21 to the heating coils 24, or if the valve 73 is closed, through the line 6, preheating coil 12 and line 18 to the line 21 and thence to the heating coil 24. In a like manner the condensate drawn oi from the dephlegmator 15 passes through the line 22h and is charged by means of the pump 74 either directly into the heating coils 25 or if the valve 75 is closed, in a roundabout manner to the same coils through the preheating coil 13. The oil circulated through the preheat-` ing coil 13 in the dephlegmator 16 may be introduced to either of the three coils 23, 24 or 25 by the use of the connecting pipes '76 and 77 regulated by valves '78 and 79. Valves 8U and 81 are interposed in the lines 19 and 7 to cut out the preheating coil 13 when desired. The unvaporized residual oil from the separate vaporizing chambers is conducted to the residuum coolers 82, 83 and 84 from which it flows through the lines 85, 86 and 87 regulated by suitable valves to the residuum storage line 88.

In operation the oil to be treated may be rst circulated directly through the furnace in which the separate banks of coils are connected up in a continuous stream. When so operated the heated oil will pass to the vaporizing tank 44, and gradually as vaporization and conversion take place the dierent units of the system will be cut in. When it becomes necessary to dephlegmate the vapors rising through the reuxing column 16, a portion of the raw oil may be directed through the preheating coil 13 in this manner. The reflux condensate separated in the dephlegmator 16 may be directed back through the line 89 to either of the vaporizing tanks 39, 40 or 44.

As the process advances and is brought on stream, the separate banks of heating coils in the furnace may be isolated and the reflux condensate separately treated therein. The separate heating of the returned condensates in this manner, will bring into use the vaporizing chambers connected with the respective coils. Where more or less dephlegmation is required in certain other reuxing columns. the iiow of the raw oil may be altered to accommodate the variation and a very flexible control is furnished with the numerous connections and valve controls. The range of pressure and temperature conditions which may be maintained in the separate connected units are such that oils having widely different characteristics may be treated in the respective stages. Thus by subjecting the oil in the diierent stages to a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions, it is possible to produce therefrom an increased yield of better quality distillates than where the oil is recycled through the same zone which is restricted in its range to definite limits of pressure and temperature conditions.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process for converting relatively high boiling point oils into lower boiling point oils which comprises maintaining a plurality of conversion units supplying charging oil to each of said units wherein the oil is subjected to a cracking heat while flowing through a heating coil, the oil being thence delivered to an enlarged chamber from which unvaporized constituents are removed Without being again subjected to a cracking heat, in subjecting vapors evolved from the oil delivered to each of the enlarged chambers to independent reflux condensation in separate reiiux condensing zones, in effecting the desired cooling in at least one of said reiiux condensing zones by passing charging oil therethrough in heat interchange relation with the vapors, in delivering reux condensate separated from the vapors in the zone through which such charging oil has passed to a conversion unit other than that associated with such reflux condensing zone.

2. An apparatus for converting relatively high boiling point hydrocarbons into lower boiling point hydrocarbons comprising a plurality of separate heating coils, a separate enlarged chamber connected to each coil, an independent reux condenser in communication with each enlarged chamber, means for supplying oil to said heating coils including a conduit, a closed passageway positioned in one of said reux condensers. mean', for passing oil through said closed passageway, means for delivering the oil subsequent to its passage through said closed passageway to said conduit, means for supplying oil from said conduit to a plurality of said heating coils including a heating coil other than the one associated with the redux condenser in which the closed passageway through which the oil has passed is positioned and means for delivering reflux condensate from certain of said reflux condensers to said conduit to be delivered to said heating coils.

JOSEPH G. ALTHER. 

